The present invention relates generally to wireless computer networking techniques. More particularly, the invention provides methods and systems for classifying radio interfaces in a wireless network, for example, classifying an unknown radio interface as authorized. In an embodiment, the classifying enables enforcing a wireless security policy. In another embodiment, the classifying enables detecting and disrupting undesirable wireless communication of devices in local area networks. These methods and systems can be applied to many computer networking environments, e.g., environments based upon the IEEE 802.11 family of standards (WiFi), Ultra Wide Band (UWB), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), Bluetooth, and others.
Computer systems have proliferated from academic and specialized science applications to day-to-day business, commerce, information distribution and home applications. Such systems can include personal computers (PCs) to large mainframe and server class computers. Powerful mainframe and server class computers run specialized applications for banks, small and large companies, e-commerce vendors, and governments. Personal computers can be found in many offices, homes, and even local coffee shops.
The computer systems located within a specific local geographic region (e.g. an office, building floor, building, home, or any other defined indoor and/or outdoor geographic region) are typically interconnected using a Local Area Network (LAN) (e.g. the Ethernet). The LANs, in turn, can be interconnected with each other using a Wide Area Network (WAN) (e.g. the Internet). A conventional LAN can be deployed using an Ethernet-based infrastructure comprising cables, hubs switches, and other elements.
Connection ports (e.g. Ethernet ports) can be used to couple multiple computer systems to the LAN. For example, a user can connect to the LAN by physically attaching a computing device (e.g. a laptop, desktop, or handheld computer) to one of the connection ports using physical wires or cables. Other types of computer systems, such as database computers, server computers, routers, and Internet gateways, can be connected to the LAN in a similar manner. Once physically connected to the LAN, a variety of services can be accessed (e.g. file transfer, remote login, email, WWW, database access, and voice over IP).
Using recent (and increasingly popular) wireless technologies, users can now be wirelessly connected to the computer network. Thus, wireless communication can provide wireless access to a LAN in the office, home, public hot-spot, and other geographical locations. As an example, the IEEE 802.11 family of standards (also called Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN or WiFi) is a common standard for such wireless communication. In WiFi, the 802.11b standard provides for wireless connectivity at speeds up to 11 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz radio frequency spectrum The 802.11g standard provides for even faster connectivity at about 54 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz radio frequency spectrum; and the 802.11a standard provides for wireless connectivity at speeds up to 54 Mbps in the 5 GHz radio frequency spectrum. Wireless communication standards that offer even higher data rates and/or operate in different frequency spectrums are also being proposed.
Advantageously, WiFi can facilitate a quick and effective way of providing a wireless extension to an existing LAN. To provide this wireless extension, one or more WiFi access points (APs) can connect to the connection ports either directly or through intermediate equipment, such as WiFi switch. After an AP is connected to a connection port, a user can access the LAN using a device (called a station) equipped with WiFi radio. The station can wirelessly communicate with the AP. Wireless networks have been highly successful.
Wireless networks use radio signals for information transfer. Since wireless signals cannot be confined to physical boundaries of premises, they often cause a variety of security concerns. For example, unauthorized wireless device (e.g. in neighboring premises, parking lot, street) can use ad hoc wireless communication to communicate with authorized wireless device in the LAN and access confidential information on the authorized device. Moreover, the unauthorized device can gain access into the authorized device and exploit the authorized device as a launching pad for attacks on the LAN. Another example of security concern is the possibility of wireless devices in the LAN connecting (e.g. unwittingly or maliciously) to external AN (e.g. APs in the neighboring premises, malicious APs in the neighborhood, honeypot APs etc.). Unauthorized wireless devices can also wirelessly connect to authorized APs in the LAN. Therefore, a need arises for improving the security for wireless LAN environments.